The LA Chargers are entering a new era under head coach Jim Harbaugh. Any existing draft priors or favoritism are long gone as Harbaugh builds something from the ground up in Los Angeles. If Harbaugh has shown the football world anything it is that he will play the best players, regardless of how it may be perceived.
As a result, fans will see a depth chart and starting lineup that may fluctuate throughout the year. Harbaugh is not going to stick with something that is not working just for the sake of it, which is what previous coaching regimes have done in Los Angeles.
Thus, there are several Chargers right now who have a certain standing with the team who may end up falling down the depth chart as rookies grow more comfortable in their first seasons.
4 Chargers who could lose their jobs to rookies:
1. Quentin Johnston
2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston is already behind one rookie on the Chargers depth chart before training camp even begins. It is safe to say that Ladd McConkey has already surpassed Johnston, who goes into camp as the team's WR3.
If Johnston continues to struggle like he did in his rookie campaign then it won't be very long until other players are getting snaps over him. It will start with free-agent signing D.J. Chark but it could get so bad that Cornelius Johnson and/or Brenden Rice get playing time over him.
Johnston will absolutely get the chance to lose the job and it won't happen right away. But Chargers fans know Jim Harbaugh is going to play the best players and Johnston may not be one of the best.
2. Poona Ford
The Chargers signed Poona Ford this offseason to bolster the interior defensive line. Ford was the only free-agent addition the Bolts made to the defensive line and he may not end up even playing much for the team.
It depends on how the room shakes out and how the Bolts want to balance the interior defensive line with the loaded edge-rusher room. There is a good chance that Tuli Tuipulotu, Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, or Bud Dupree could all play inside on pass-rushing snaps, which naturally limits how much Ford can play.
That being said, it would not be shocking at all if day-three pick Justin Eboige excels in camp and surpasses Ford on the depth chart and in the defensive line rotation.
3. Kristian Fulton
This is one that is absolutely going to take time as the Chargers signed Kristian Fulton to be a starting cornerback this offseason. That being said, Fulton was one of the worst starting cornerbacks in the league last season (even worse than Michael Davis) and if that continues then it will force the Chargers' hand.
The cornerback room is one of the worst on the entire roster and the Chargers should not hesitate to experiment. If Fulton continues to struggle then fans very well could see either Cam Hart or Tarheeb Still get snaps over Fulton.
Still projects to be a slot corner so he would not be a direct replacement for Fulton but if he thrives and earns a spot in the starting lineup then it could have a domino effect that kicks Fulton to the bench.
4. Isaiah Spiller
Isaiah Spiller hasn't accomplished much in his two years in the NFL thus far. Even in the pointless games at the end of last season, the Chargers did not run Spiller out there to at least see what he had moving forward.
Spiller's stock was at an all-time low entering the offseason and it has since gone up a tad as he received rave reviews during OTAs. That being said, a strong performance in OTAs does not mean anything and when looking at the RB position it is easy to see how Spiller may fall by the wayside.
It all boils down to Kimani Vidal. If Vidal is as good as Chargers fans expect him to be then there simply won't be any room for Spiller with Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins also getting snaps. Even if one of them gets hurt, Vidal still has a great chance to usurp Spiller on the depth chart.